Horry makes early-season impact

It’s hard to put his performance in the Spurs’ 86-80 victory over Houston on Thursday in the same category as his postseason game-winners.

But once again Horry came off the bench and made a contribution that included a significant 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.

“He played great,” Spurs guard Tony Parker said. “He played great defense. On offense he’s always smart. He hit that big three in the fourth quarter.”

Horry’s 3-pointer came with just under four minutes left in the game. It broke a slump when the Spurs made only one basket in the first eight minutes of the period. During that stretch the Rockets pared a 20-point Spurs lead down to nine points.

“Robert has been known to make some big shots,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “He’s always ready to go.

“He’s somebody that understands the game and the situation and feels very confident in that role. It’s great to see him do that again.”

Horry downplayed the significance of his fourth-quarter 3-pointer.

“We’ve been in situations like that before with Houston,” said Horry, a member of two NBA championship teams as a Rocket. “We’re happy we knocked down shots — not just me, but the whole team.”

The Rockets eventually trimmed the lead to six points late in the game but never got close enough to tie it with one basket.

Horry hit 5 of 6 from the field for the game, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range. He made all four of his free-throw attempts to finish with 16 points. The 6-foot-10 veteran forward also contributed six rebounds, two steals and one assist. He played more than 21 minutes — less than any of the Spurs starters but more than any of the other bench players.

“I felt pretty good about it,” Horry said. “I’m just more happy that we got a win.”